Flowers and Plants Grow Thanks to Liquid Carbon Dioxide From Residual Waste

This week Twence delivered its first tanker with liquid carbon dioxide to the greenhouse horticulture sector. The sector uses the carbon dioxide to grow flowers and plants in greenhouses. With this move, Twence is taking further steps towards sustainability. For instance, the company has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 3,600 tons and the horticulture sector no longer has to consume as much gas.

CO2

In 2014, Twence introduced the first installation in the world that collects carbon dioxide from flue gas cleaning of waste-to-energy plants and converts it into sodium bicarbonate (baking powder). This sodium bicarbonate is used to clean the flue gases. The next step is now being taken by using carbon dioxide in liquid form as a raw material for greenhouse horticulture. By opting for the collection and reuse of carbon dioxide, Twence is taking an important step in making industries more sustainable and developing a fully circular economy.

Making the Greenhouse Horticulture Sector More Sustainable
The greenhouse horticulture sector must become more sustainable in the coming years. That is why the sector is switching from natural gas to geothermal energy in order to heat greenhouses. As a result, the demand for liquid carbon dioxide increases. Throughout the growth season, liquid carbon dioxide is very suitable for use in greenhouses to grow flowers and plants.

Large-scale carbon dioxide collection
Marc Kapteijn, director of Twence: “Thanks to our intensive collaboration with research institutes, we have gained a lot of valuable experience. The next step is the construction of a large-scale installation that can collect 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year for the supply of greenhouse horticulture. In this way we contribute to a completely carbon emissions-neutral environment. It also gives us the opportunity to use liquid carbon dioxide in other sectors over time, such as in the food industry, in construction, in the chemical industry or as a bio-fuel.”